"Pennsylvania's Zao needs no further introduction. One of metalcore's pioneering bands influenced a huge swath of groups, mainstream and underground, with their chaotic riffing, pummeling rhythms, honest, heart-wrenching lyrics and venomous screaming of Dan Weyandt. And while the band endured quite the past, Zao continue to walk to the beat of their own drum while inviting the fans to come along." December sucks for new releases, until it doesn't.[Give in to your anger...]

"Before I write this review, let me educate the non-American readers of this fine website about the amazing about-face that happens this time of year. Just one day before I finalized this review, our nation celebrated Thanksgiving, a day where we all sit around the table, eat turkey, unsuccessfully avoid all conversations about politics, and above all give thanks for what we have. I mention this because 24 hours later, a phenomenon known as Black Friday began. A day where all promises of thanks and gratefulness are dashed." Fight for that discount waffle maker![Give in to your anger...]

"Once almost exclusively the preserve of floppy-haired teenagers, metalcore is a style that seems to delight and depress in equal measure, depending on whom you talk to. There is a smattering of bands who fall into the genre however, such as Heaven Shall Burn, While She Sleeps and Crossfaith, to name but a few, who manage to demonstrate that with the right nous it's in fact possible to produce a substantially more wholesome, mature record than your stereotypical ‘core’ band. Formed in Syracuse in 2001 out of the ashes of local straight-edge vegancore outfit Earth Crisis, Freya have been churning out sludgy metalcore, with much emphasis on their hardcore beginnings, for over a decade now." Upstate New York in da house![Give in to your anger...]

"I love seeing bands progress beyond their infant stages, taking their influences and branching out into worlds unknown. Germany's Heaven Shall Burn are not one of those bands you think of when you picture the word "progress." They've taken their signature sound from 2004's landmark Antigone, refined their attack, and proceeded to beat us over the head with variations of their trademark brand of metalcore/death metal/whatever it is the cool kids are calling them these days." AMG: Voice of the cool kids since 2009.[Give in to your anger...]

"There are certain things in life you just come to depend on and expect. Hollywood will try to recreate your favorite movies, and they will all suck. People will place themselves above the proletariat to assume a level of faux superiority. We will all die, some more gloriously than others. And, without fail, California's High on Fire will pummel the bejeebus out of you with every record they release." Get your bejeebus in order.[Give in to your anger...]

This year the plebs get a say. While I have fought against this with every fiber of my body, Madam X's caring, feeling, and ultimately populistic, womanly touch has poisoned this blog by allowing people who aren't me (including herself) to have lists. Frankly I'm offended. No one comes to Angry Metal Guy to read these guys' lists. But hey, you know how it goes. Times, they are achangin'. As I no longer have time to be the site's lone dictator, and Steel Druhm has proven incapable of keeping the mustache twirling hipsters underfoot despite his enormous gun collection and tough talk, you, dear reader, get extra Top 10 lists.

"Sheesh the Reaper's working overtime this year! Every which way you turn there's another corpse stinking up the joint. German melo death band Parasite Inc captured my eye (or maybe it was my ear) a few weeks back with their video for "The Pulse Of The Dead" off their sophomore release Time Tears Down. The video isn't particularly flashy, there's no blood and guts and no fancy scene set or story being told. Basically it's just four musicians against a pretty stark background furiously slaughtering their instruments, catchy melodies challenging heavy grooves, creating no holds barred, modern, melodic death magic." Melo death seems to be making a comeback in 2013 and Madam X is here to tell you if Parasite Inc. can help the revival.[Give in to your anger...]

"If you mow the lawn to Heaven Shall Burn like Happy Metal Guy—which is supposed to be a good thing—you would kinda do the job almost as well with Neaera. Ours Is the Storm is this band’s sixth studio album and it serves as nice filler for HSB fans to feast on until the next HSB album drops like a giant pile of bird poop all over the world from mid to late April (← also supposed to be a good thing)." Happy Metal Guy steps in to tell you all about the new Neaera record. Now with proper capitalization![Give in to your anger...]

Marduk stand as one of the most revered and influential black metal acts on the planet. They were hugely significant to me personally when I was fresh to all things diabolical in metal. Albums such as Heaven Shall Burn as We Are Gathered, Nightwing and especially the faultless Panzer Division Marduk are masterpieces straight from the abyss. I've always maintained this band as the uglier brother of fellow countrymen Dark Funeral, never quite as ambitious, but much rawer in their approach.[Give in to your anger...]

Marduk is legendary in the black metal scene for releasing some of the most ground-breaking black metal of its time. Records like Panzer Division Marduk and especially Heaven Shall Burn... When We Are Gathered considered two of the finest black metal albums ever released; the former having been likened to Slayer's magnum opus Reign in Blood in reference to how it changed black metal by upping the ante. However, like Slayer, few bands get a chance to redefine a genre more than once and Marduk is no different. While Wormwood is an excellent example of the fact that raw black metal can still be made and can still be compelling, Wormwood isn't a scene defining record. It's just a very good record.[Give in to your anger...]